Little Falls transcript., 1887-03-04

on are pleased to trife with me-"
said the German slowly.
The Englishman began to protest,
but the big German soon silenced him.
"Listen to me. OF course your daugh,
ter marriesthe man you choose.
You know that as we'll as
i / ask you for your
daughters hand, and you promise
me. Yes; then you make excuses,
You what you call back OUT But I
do not choose you to back out. I in
tend to marry your daughter. Look
here, Granger Thomgson," he contin-
ued in a lower tone, "how long you
have known me?"
"I should say bout ten years." res
ponded the other.
"And during these ten years have
you ever known me to turn from my
purpose?"
"N-n--no, / don't think I have"
"Or fail to succeed in anything set
my heart on?"
"N-no; dare say not"
"Well l mean to marry your daugh-
ter"
'But she won't have YOU"
Pooh! If you had not played me
false, my good fellow, the match
would have been arranged by this
|. time" ...
"Played you false, Mr.. Brandt! l.
-
"Now you listen to me. I've made
up my mind to marry your daughter
Kate, and I mean to do it. If itcosts
me half my fortune will do it.. If I
have to ruin you III the process I will
do it. IT,
"Get out OF this!" screamed little
Thompson, fairly beside himself with
rage. "You stand at my own freside
and threaten me. BY Jove, Pllsend for
policeman" He opened the door
and shouted '"Tom!'' And the eldest
hope Of the Thompsons descended the
stairs three steps at a time. In a
twinkling the street door was open
and Herr Brandt was unceremOniOus,
ly bundled into the street.
When this feat had been accom-
plished Mr.. Thompson felt half afraid
OF what he had done, for the German
banker was an influential man and
might be able to injure him. 1t was
too late now, however, for regrets
He drank q glass of brandy by way OF
steadying his nerves., and magnani-
mously refrained from telling his
daughter that it was all owing to her
unreasonable obstinacy that he had
got into the scrape.
As for the German, he went home
vOwing vengeance against the whole
family and race OF Thompsons He
was more bent upon marrying Kate
than ever, for his resentment stimu-
lated rather than moderated his pas
sion. And he had determined to be
revenged on her father.
At length he resolved upon plan OF
action, and he lost no time in putting
it into practice. The first experience
poor Thompson had of his enemy's
resentment WAS finding that his bank
ers, who had always been very civil to
him, would not discount some bills
which he offered them without addi-
tional security. He lett the bank par
lor in a huff, and after vainly trying
to place the bills elsewhere, was forced
to go to q Jew for the money. From
chat day misfortunes came thick up
on him. Good customers seemed to
fight shy Of him; shady people whom
he hated to have seen around his Of
fee came there, patronizsd him. and
put him in the way OF contracting bad
debts. People with whom he had dealt
for twenty years suddenly seemed to
be suspicious OF him; everybody to
whom he owed twenty pounds was
anxious to get his money. In a word,
Granger Thompson's credit was shak-
en- so seriously that a little more
would destroy it altogether.
Sometimes the unhappy man was
inclined to attribute these untoward
events to the quarrel he had had
with Mr.. Brandt and the revengeful
feeiincs he had excited in the German 8
breast; at other times he thought
that it was impossible that one ad-
erse influence could be exercised in so
many different directions. He did
not take into account the kindness
with which an unfavorable rumor,
coming from an apparently unbiased
source, spreads and repeats itself, nor
the amount Of evil which perserver-
ing nallgnity can accomplish.
At length one day the crash came.
A firm who owed Thompson a consid-
cradle sum failed just before the day
for paying him. The poor man had bills
to meet next week. and he had been rely
ing on this very sum to enable him to
take them up: He applied to his
bankers to help him-in vain; he tried
one old friend alter another it was
quite useless. Poor Thompson's bills
we, dishonored, and in month he
was adjudicated bankrupt.
The comfortable establishment at
Blackheath was broken up; all the
household goods-the girls piano,
the old mans easy chair, the pictures,
the very spoons and forks were seized
and sold. There were no friends at
hand to buy IN some of the furniture
and help the disconsolate iamily to
make a fresh start. They went and
hid themselves in lodgings in a mean
street in the region ofUpper Holloway
TO complete the distress of the fam
lily, Tom, who was the only one of
them who was earning anything sub.
stantial, suddenly lost his. situation.
Kate found some work as q daily
governess, but her salary went but q
little way in keeping the wolf from
the door. r.
As the old man, now looking seedy
and thread-bare, was returning home
ward along Cheapside one bitter No
.vember day after an unsuccessful at
tempt to obtain employment as q
bookkeeper he met Mr.. Brandt face to
face. An angry gleam came into the
bankrupts eyes, for he could not help
entertaining q feeling that the German
had had hand in his misfortunes 2
certainly they had begun shortly after